This week on Cosimo Studio Tours, we traveled to Wembley to visit artist and photographer, Katya Ilina (in her lovely backyard garden on a gorgeous, rare sunny London day). 

Katya is a London artist working in the portrait, fashion, and observational photography genres and landscapes. Her artistic practice explores themes related to identity and gender expression. Informed by Katya’s own multicultural perspective, she is inspired by, “the human condition,”  as she writes in her own artistic statement, “in the context of social and cultural change.” 

In this interview, we delve into Katya’s artistic journey, her photography practice, how she uses photography to tell an artistic narrative, “imposter syndrome,” as well as the importance of an artistic community. We also speak about two of Katya’s projects - one focusing on her travels photographing female Muay Thai fighters in Thailand. 

Katya studied Photography at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and the University of Westminster. She also studied Business of Entertainment and Management at the UCLA Extension (which we speak about a bit in this podcast interview). Her works have been featured in and by the BBC, The Guardian, Creative Review, The Royal Photographic Society Journal, PhMuseum. Her selected commissions include: Dazed and WeTransfer. She has exhibited globally at the International Photography Exhibition 163, The Royal Photographic Society (Bristol, UK) in 2022, Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, The National Portrait Gallery), Cromwell Place (London, UK) in 2023, Full, Seoul Creators Series, Vofol Art Gallery (South Korea) in 2019 and Empty, Seoul Creators Series, Vofol Art Gallery (South Korea) in 2018. 
Katya ilina Website: https://www.katyailina.com/